Subtitling

Subtitling is a challenging type of translation because of the restrained space the subtitles must fit in. The translator needs to translate what is said so that the viewer can read the subtitle and thus understand what is going on and at the same time watch what is going.

The restraints are both spacial and temporal. Our standard at Subtitles.Company is to have one or two lines per subtitle with 40 characters per line at most for 16:9 video. We use 38 characters for older 4:3 videos. These parameters ensure that the subtitles do not take up too much of the screen estate while still being easily legible. Temporal restraints have to do with the ability of the viewer to read text. This ability is expressed in reading speed measured in characters per second (CPS). Our standard is a maximal CPS of 12-16 depending on the video type and its intended audience. Our customers can of course set their own reading speed as they wish.

Translation quality, that is the ability to neatly express a message in another language with regard to its context is paramount. Our standard is a high quality translation guaranteed by our experienced and well-educated translators. We offer proofreading by native speakers in order to ensure high-quality translations. Visual style of subtitles is also important. Our subtitles are always big enough and have enough contrast, they use an easily readable sans-serif font and we take pride in our good typography. We can change the font and other parameters according to your wishes.

Subtitle creation is not only a business but also a hobby. We also run a non-profit website o.titulkovani.cz that covers the issue at a greater depth (in Czech).